raffaele Mastrovincenzo

Lately, we have been participating in a differents tasting in Rome one of those was a burgundy producer Jérôme Galeyrand, thanks to the Italian importer Daniela Paris. Jérôme comes from a family in Loire Valley without winemaking history. After eight years working within the cheese industry, Jérôme became passionate about wine and began working harvests at the legendary Domaine Alain Burguet in Gevrey-Chambertin since 1996. Inspired and driven to start his own label, Jérôme start to study at the Wine Institute in Beaune. In 2002, he purchase his first vineyard site Les Retrait in Comblanchien. In 2003, he took over a Domaine in Brochon. Since then Jérôme has expanded the estate that is now covering 5.25 ha. Viticulture is organic no pesticides and any sort of chemical involved. Some whole cluster ae used according to the Italian importer  Daniela 30% each year, the vinification is very delicate and precise. All wines are aged in piece Bourgogne - 12 months for whites, 18 t...

Lately we did intense research on Burgundy, due to the value of this region becoming very expansive. We research new producers and old friends, and also wines made in part of this region less know or less attractive by the big money, but with awesome terroir. Oronce de Beler from La Maison Romane arrived in Burgundy in 2004. He did a degree in winemaking in Beaune settled in this old Roman house in the village of Vosne Romanee with the help of two horses Prosper and Quarto they working together in a different parts of Burgundy. Oronce he does not use chemicals and follows the principles of biodynamics to respect and farm his terroir. He vinifies following the phases of the moon and working by gravity at all times, without any mechanical pumping. The wine we choose from Maison Romane 2016 Marsannay “Longeroies”   Beautiful translucent color with soft red fruit and floral touches. Spicy notes ginger and star anise, toasted almond with slightly...

Etna is a Vulcano in Sicily with bush vines prefiloxera, on sandy black lava soil. This wine region is truly spectacular quite unique with high altitude, indigenous grapes varieties, very distinctive temperature between night and day time. The Etna DOC was the very first in Sicily, created in August 1968, the terraces of alberello-trained bush vines have contributed to the rising fortunes of Etna wines. The grapes varieties are for the red: Nerello Mascalese Nerello Cappuccio The grapes varieties are for the white: Carricante Minella Trebbiano The best terroir is on the "Versante Nord" in the north part. The shape of the area of the vine is kind of "C" upsidedown which is the best exposition facing the Volcano is on the most north area, start from the town of Linguaglossa to Randazzo touching the towns Rovitello, Solicchiata, Passopiciario, and Montelaguardia. Many producers like to vinify different cru separately, called "Contrada". Th...

Last month I visited Weingut Hofgut Falkenstein in the Saar Valley and I had an amazing time, I tasted cask samples and wines from bottles close to the vineyard with one of the sons of Eric "Johannes", a really great gentleman we visited some vineyards and went to the cellar to experience the cask sample of 2018. The great Johannes Erich Weber in the Saar valley farms about 8 hectares of old vines—over 40 percent ungrafted. They work some of the finest, around the village of Niedermennig. A diverse range of soils including gray, blue, and red slate, quartz, and green basalt. The average age of the Webers' vines is between 40 and 50 years old, the oldest is from 60 to 90 years old, over 1 ha is ungrafted. The vineyards, are on various slate slopes: Falkensteiner Hofberg, Niedermenniger Herrenberg, Niedermenniger Sonnenberg, Krettnacher Euchariusberg, Krettnacher Altenberg, and Oberemmeler Karlsberg. Looking at the slope near the house  The cellar wo...

Nature does not harvest any grapes - it’s always human beings who are at work. "Rudolf thinking" Rudolf Trossen at his propriety... Rudolf Trossen and his wife Rita farming in the middle Mosel, vines on steep slopes blue and green slate. They produce pure and alive wines without any use of chemicals and heavy intervention. They are certified biodynamic since 1978 when they took over the family vineyard. They are certified Ecovin an association which Rudolf together with other farmers in Germany created and founded to preserve the land of their country. https://www.ecovin.de/ Back in the 1970s freedom was seen as a fight for the fertility of mother earth, farmers were protesting against synthetic and profit-maximizing farming. Organic farmers anticipated an unforeseeable catastrophe and global crisis if the industrial agricultural continued with the unsustainable practice. They joined forces and set principles, created organizations and eventually formulated inte...

Thorsten Melsheimer in the Mullay site  Five generations of winemakers growing vines on the steep slopes of the famous Mosel region in Germany. The Mosel is marked by many steep slopes a truly cultural heroic viticulture, Melsheimer works almost exclusive with Riesling and a little bit of Pinot Noir for their sparkling production. The production is very small a few thousands of bottles a year all done in biodynamic natural farming, the pesticide is banned for quite a long time since 1995, and in 2013 the properties has certified Demeter; apparently in the Mosel, only 3 wineries have got such a certification. Their goal is to reach the maximum aromatic complexity at the highest level of authenticity and environmental balance, without losing the freshness and lightness of classic Mosel Riesling. They farm on a terrific steep slope, a full block Mullay-Hofberg with a single grape variety from a really small area. In the Lower Middle Mosel: For nearly one kilometer, direct...